diff --git a/mm/sparse.c b/mm/sparse.c
index bd45bff78ca1..3411321998b1 100644
--- a/mm/sparse.c
+++ b/mm/sparse.c
@@ -83,8 +83,15 @@ static int __meminit sparse_index_init(unsigned long section_nr, int nid)
 	unsigned long root = SECTION_NR_TO_ROOT(section_nr);
 	struct mem_section *section;
 
+	/*
+	 * An existing section is possible in the sub-section hotplug
+	 * case. First hot-add instantiates, follow-on hot-add reuses
+	 * the existing section.
+	 *
+	 * The mem_hotplug_lock resolves the apparent race below.
+	 */
 	if (mem_section[root])
-		return -EEXIST;
+		return 0;
 
 	section = sparse_index_alloc(nid);
 	if (!section)
@@ -338,6 +345,15 @@ static void __meminit sparse_init_one_section(struct mem_section *ms,
 		unsigned long pnum, struct page *mem_map,
 		struct mem_section_usage *usage)
 {
+	/*
+	 * Given that SPARSEMEM_VMEMMAP=y supports sub-section hotplug,
+	 * ->section_mem_map can not be guaranteed to point to a full
+	 *  section's worth of memory.  The field is only valid / used
+	 *  in the SPARSEMEM_VMEMMAP=n case.
+	 */
+	if (IS_ENABLED(CONFIG_SPARSEMEM_VMEMMAP))
+		mem_map = NULL;
+
 	ms->section_mem_map &= ~SECTION_MAP_MASK;
 	ms->section_mem_map |= sparse_encode_mem_map(mem_map, pnum) |
 							SECTION_HAS_MEM_MAP;
@@ -743,10 +759,130 @@ static void free_map_bootmem(struct page *memmap)
 #endif /* CONFIG_MEMORY_HOTREMOVE */
 #endif /* CONFIG_SPARSEMEM_VMEMMAP */
 
+#ifndef CONFIG_MEMORY_HOTREMOVE
+static void free_map_bootmem(struct page *memmap)
+{
+}
+#endif
+
+static bool is_early_section(struct mem_section *ms)
+{
+	struct page *usage_page;
+
+	usage_page = virt_to_page(ms->usage);
+	if (PageSlab(usage_page) || PageCompound(usage_page))
+		return false;
+	else
+		return true;
+}
+
+static void section_deactivate(unsigned long pfn, unsigned long nr_pages,
+		int nid, struct vmem_altmap *altmap)
+{
+	unsigned long mask = section_active_mask(pfn, nr_pages);
+	struct mem_section *ms = __pfn_to_section(pfn);
+	bool early_section = is_early_section(ms);
+	struct page *memmap = NULL;
+
+	if (WARN(!ms->usage || (ms->usage->map_active & mask) != mask,
+			"section already deactivated: active: %#lx mask: %#lx\n",
+			ms->usage ? ms->usage->map_active : 0, mask))
+		return;
+
+	if (WARN(!IS_ENABLED(CONFIG_SPARSEMEM_VMEMMAP)
+				&& nr_pages < PAGES_PER_SECTION,
+				"partial memory section removal not supported\n"))
+		return;
+
+	/*
+	 * There are 3 cases to handle across two configurations
+	 * (SPARSEMEM_VMEMMAP={y,n}):
+	 *
+	 * 1/ deactivation of a partial hot-added section (only possible
+	 * in the SPARSEMEM_VMEMMAP=y case).
+	 *    a/ section was present at memory init
+	 *    b/ section was hot-added post memory init
+	 * 2/ deactivation of a complete hot-added section
+	 * 3/ deactivation of a complete section from memory init
+	 *
+	 * For 1/, when map_active does not go to zero we will not be
+	 * freeing the usage map, but still need to free the vmemmap
+	 * range.
+	 *
+	 * For 2/ and 3/ the SPARSEMEM_VMEMMAP={y,n} cases are unified
+	 */
+	ms->usage->map_active ^= mask;
+	if (ms->usage->map_active == 0) {
+		unsigned long section_nr = pfn_to_section_nr(pfn);
+
+		if (!early_section) {
+			kfree(ms->usage);
+			ms->usage = NULL;
+		}
+		memmap = sparse_decode_mem_map(ms->section_mem_map, section_nr);
+		ms->section_mem_map = sparse_encode_mem_map(NULL, section_nr);
+	}
+
+	if (early_section && memmap)
+		free_map_bootmem(memmap);
+	else
+		depopulate_section_memmap(pfn, nr_pages, altmap);
+}
+
+static struct page * __meminit section_activate(int nid, unsigned long pfn,
+		unsigned long nr_pages, struct vmem_altmap *altmap)
+{
+	unsigned long mask = section_active_mask(pfn, nr_pages);
+	struct mem_section *ms = __pfn_to_section(pfn);
+	struct mem_section_usage *usage = NULL;
+	struct page *memmap;
+	int rc = 0;
+
+	if (!ms->usage) {
+		usage = kzalloc(mem_section_usage_size(), GFP_KERNEL);
+		if (!usage)
+			return ERR_PTR(-ENOMEM);
+		ms->usage = usage;
+	}
+
+	if (!mask)
+		rc = -EINVAL;
+	else if (mask & ms->usage->map_active)
+		rc = -EEXIST;
+	else
+		ms->usage->map_active |= mask;
+
+	if (rc) {
+		if (usage)
+			ms->usage = NULL;
+		kfree(usage);
+		return ERR_PTR(rc);
+	}
+
+	/*
+	 * The early init code does not consider partially populated
+	 * initial sections, it simply assumes that memory will never be
+	 * referenced.  If we hot-add memory into such a section then we
+	 * do not need to populate the memmap and can simply reuse what
+	 * is already there.
+	 */
+	if (nr_pages < PAGES_PER_SECTION && is_early_section(ms))
+		return pfn_to_page(pfn);
+
+	memmap = populate_section_memmap(pfn, nr_pages, nid, altmap);
+	if (!memmap) {
+		section_deactivate(pfn, nr_pages, nid, altmap);
+		return ERR_PTR(-ENOMEM);
+	}
+
+	return memmap;
+}
+
 /**
- * sparse_add_one_section - add a memory section
+ * sparse_add_section - add a memory section, or populate an existing one
  * @nid: The node to add section on
  * @start_pfn: start pfn of the memory range
+ * @nr_pages: number of pfns to add in the section
  * @altmap: device page map
  *
  * This is only intended for hotplug.
@@ -760,49 +896,30 @@ int __meminit sparse_add_section(int nid, unsigned long start_pfn,
 		unsigned long nr_pages, struct vmem_altmap *altmap)
 {
 	unsigned long section_nr = pfn_to_section_nr(start_pfn);
-	struct mem_section_usage *usage;
-	struct mem_section *ms;
+	struct mem_section *ms = __pfn_to_section(start_pfn);
 	struct page *memmap;
 	int ret;
 
-	/*
-	 * no locking for this, because it does its own
-	 * plus, it does a kmalloc
-	 */
 	ret = sparse_index_init(section_nr, nid);
 	if (ret < 0 && ret != -EEXIST)
 		return ret;
-	ret = 0;
-	memmap = populate_section_memmap(start_pfn, PAGES_PER_SECTION, nid,
-			altmap);
-	if (!memmap)
-		return -ENOMEM;
-	usage = kzalloc(mem_section_usage_size(), GFP_KERNEL);
-	if (!usage) {
-		depopulate_section_memmap(start_pfn, PAGES_PER_SECTION, altmap);
-		return -ENOMEM;
-	}
 
-	ms = __pfn_to_section(start_pfn);
-	if (ms->section_mem_map & SECTION_MARKED_PRESENT) {
-		ret = -EEXIST;
-		goto out;
-	}
+	memmap = section_activate(nid, start_pfn, nr_pages, altmap);
+	if (IS_ERR(memmap))
+		return PTR_ERR(memmap);
+	ret = 0;
 
 	/*
 	 * Poison uninitialized struct pages in order to catch invalid flags
 	 * combinations.
 	 */
-	page_init_poison(memmap, sizeof(struct page) * PAGES_PER_SECTION);
+	page_init_poison(pfn_to_page(start_pfn), sizeof(struct page) * nr_pages);
 
 	section_mark_present(ms);
-	sparse_init_one_section(ms, section_nr, memmap, usage);
+	sparse_init_one_section(ms, section_nr, memmap, ms->usage);
 
-out:
-	if (ret < 0) {
-		kfree(usage);
-		depopulate_section_memmap(start_pfn, PAGES_PER_SECTION, altmap);
-	}
+	if (ret < 0)
+		section_deactivate(start_pfn, nr_pages, nid, altmap);
 	return ret;
 }
 
@@ -837,54 +954,13 @@ static inline void clear_hwpoisoned_pages(struct page *memmap, int nr_pages)
 }
 #endif
 
-static void free_section_usage(struct page *memmap,
-		struct mem_section_usage *usage, unsigned long pfn,
-		unsigned long nr_pages, struct vmem_altmap *altmap)
-{
-	struct page *usage_page;
-
-	if (!usage)
-		return;
-
-	usage_page = virt_to_page(usage);
-	/*
-	 * Check to see if allocation came from hot-plug-add
-	 */
-	if (PageSlab(usage_page) || PageCompound(usage_page)) {
-		kfree(usage);
-		if (memmap)
-			depopulate_section_memmap(pfn, nr_pages, altmap);
-		return;
-	}
-
-	/*
-	 * The usemap came from bootmem. This is packed with other usemaps
-	 * on the section which has pgdat at boot time. Just keep it as is now.
-	 */
-
-	if (memmap)
-		free_map_bootmem(memmap);
-}
-
 void sparse_remove_section(struct zone *zone, struct mem_section *ms,
 		unsigned long pfn, unsigned long nr_pages,
 		unsigned long map_offset, struct vmem_altmap *altmap)
 {
-	struct page *memmap = NULL;
-	struct mem_section_usage *usage = NULL;
-
-	if (ms->section_mem_map) {
-		usage = ms->usage;
-		memmap = sparse_decode_mem_map(ms->section_mem_map,
-						__section_nr(ms));
-		ms->section_mem_map = 0;
-		ms->usage = NULL;
-	}
-
-	clear_hwpoisoned_pages(memmap + map_offset,
-			PAGES_PER_SECTION - map_offset);
-	free_section_usage(memmap, usage, section_nr_to_pfn(__section_nr(ms)),
-			PAGES_PER_SECTION, altmap);
+	clear_hwpoisoned_pages(pfn_to_page(pfn) + map_offset,
+			nr_pages - map_offset);
+	section_deactivate(pfn, nr_pages, zone_to_nid(zone), altmap);
 }
 #endif /* CONFIG_MEMORY_HOTREMOVE */
 #endif /* CONFIG_MEMORY_HOTPLUG */
